Hundreds of thousands filled the streets of Yemen's capital, Sana'a, on the International Quds Day Friday, voicing their solidarity with Palestinians and decrying the United States' and Israel's aggressions in the Middle East.
The International Quds Day is held every year on the last Friday of Ramadan to express support for Palestine and oppose the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.
Demonstrators carried Palestinian flags and chanted slogans in Al-Sabeen Square, calling on the international community to help stop the war on Gaza and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid.
They rallied not only to condemn Israel's renewed attacks on Gaza and its breach of the ceasefire in Lebanon, but also the recent U.S. airstrikes on Yemen.
The United States has conducted over 150 airstrikes on Sana'a and Yemen's northern provinces within just two weeks, sparking widespread anger and protests within Yemen.
The U.S. airstrikes targeted more than 40 locations in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, according to local media affiliated with the group. The attacks hit Sana'a, Marib, Amran, and Saada, causing civilian casualties.
Mohammed Muftah, deputy prime minister of the Sana'a Government, criticized the indiscriminate nature of the U.S. assaults at the rally.
"The nature of American targets, in general, since the beginning of the recent U.S. escalation, is civilian. They do not have any coordinates for military targets. They try to make people believe they are targeting military sites, but in reality, they are [targeting] civilian targets, residential neighborhoods," he said.
Yahya Al-Moushki, a demonstrator, expressed the sentiment of the crowd.
"We came out today to reaffirm our principled and unwavering stance with our brothers in Gaza and Palestine," he said.
Similar mass rallies were also held in Iran on Friday.
Yemenis rally on Quds Day, decrying U.S., Israeli aggressions in Middle East
Yemenis rally on Quds Day, decrying U.S., Israeli aggressions in Middle East
Yemenis rally on Quds Day, decrying U.S., Israeli aggressions in Middle East
China's securities regulator has pledged to prioritize market stability and resolutely prevent sharp fluctuations as a core objective for 2026, aiming to consolidate sound development of the capital market.
The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) made the commitment at its annual work conference on Thursday, where the regulator reviewed the past year's performance and outlined key tasks for 2026.
In 2025, listed companies distributed a combined total of 2.68 trillion yuan (about 380 billion U.S. dollars) in cash dividends and share buybacks throughout the year, further consolidating the momentum for high-quality development.
Initial public offerings (IPOs) and follow-on offerings reached a combined 1.26 trillion yuan, while the exchange bond market issued various bonds totaling 16.3 trillion yuan.
Eighteen futures and options products were smoothly listed, demonstrating the robust functioning of the multi-tiered capital market.
The meeting emphasized that while the capital market currently shows stable and sound performance, it still faces complex and severe challenges posed by intertwined domestic and external risks as well as the overlapping of persisting and emerging issues.
Efforts will be made to effectively enhance the intrinsic stability of the market, the CSRC said, adding that it will rigorously investigate and punish excessive speculation, market manipulation, and other illegal activities to prevent sharp market fluctuations.
It will work to foster a market ecosystem where "long-term capital engages in long-term investment," the regulator said, pledging efforts to broaden the channels for medium and long-term capital inflows, introduce various products and risk management tools suited to long-term investment, and actively guide long-term, rational and value-based investment.
It also vowed to enhance the inclusiveness and adaptability of the multi-tiered equity market, crack down on illegal activities such as financial fraud, price manipulation and insider trading, and enhance corporate governance among listed firms.
The CSRC will advance the two-way opening up of the capital market in 2026.
Efforts will be made to expedite the implementation of the optimized Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor scheme, expand the scope of futures products accessible to foreign investors, and enhance the facilitation of cross-border investment and financing, the regulator said.
China's securities regulator stresses market stability in 2026 work plan
China's securities regulator stresses market stability in 2026 work plan
